Corn-harvester.



No. 783,431 PATENTED FEB. 28, 1905. S. J. HAGEMAN.

CORN HARVESTER.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 27, 1904.

3 SHEETSSHEET 1.

J7 JJJ 63 3 00 63 PATENTED FEB. 28, 1905.

S. J. H'AGEMAN.

CORN HARVESTER.

APPLIGATION FILED APR. 27, 1904.

SHEET 2.

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Inventor Httornegs 2 I'll N0. 783,431. PATENTED FEB.28, 1905. S. J. HAGEMAN. CORN HARVBSTER.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 27, 1904.

a SHBETS-SHEBT s.

Invefitor.

Patented February 28, 1905.

PATENT ll Trice.

STANLEY J. HAGEMAN, OF CLIFTON, KANSAS.

CORN-HARVESTER.

SPECIFICATIONforming' part of Letters Patent No. 783,431, dated February 28, 1905.

Application filed April 27, 1904. Serial No. 205,176-

To all whom, it mag concern:

Be it known that I, STANLEY J. HAGEMAN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Clifton, in the county of Washington-and State of Kansas, have invented a new and useful Corn- Harvester, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to corn-harvesters; and it has particular reference to that class of corn-harvesters which include organized mechanism for guiding the cornstalks to snapping-rollers which operate upon said stalks soas to cause them to pass downwardly under the rear end of the machine as the latter progresses over the field, the ears being snapped off the stalks by the action of said rollers and then conveyed to husking mechanism, Whereby the ears are deprived of the husks. The machine further includes fanning means for cleaning the ears as they pass from the husking mechanism onto an elevator and screening means in said elevator, whereby dust and the like may be extracted prior to the ears being deposited by the elevator in the receptacle, which may be in the nature of a wagon driven alongside the harvesting-machine.

The present invention has for its object to provide a machine of the class referred to which shall possess superior advantages in pointof simplicity, durability, and general efliciency; and with these and other ends in view, which will appear as the nature of the invention becomes better understood, the said invention consists in the improved construction and novel arrangement and combination of parts, which will be hereinafter fully described, and particularly pointed out in the claims.

1n the accompanying drawings has been illustrated a simple and preferred form of embodiment of the invention, it being understood, however, that no limitation is necessarily made to the specific structural details therein exhibited, but that the right is reserved to any changes, alterations, and modifications which may be resorted to within the scope of the invention and without departing from the spirit or sacrificing the efficiency of the same.

In said drawings, Figure 1 is a side elevation, partly in section, of a corn-harvester constructed in accordance with the principles of the invention. 'Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the same. Fig. 3 is a rear end elevation. Fig. 4: is a detail view of the husking-rollers. Fig. 5 is a sectional detail view taken on the line 5 5 in Fig. 1.

Corresponding parts in the several figures are indicated by similar numerals of reference.

The rear or main axle 1 of the improved machine is supported upon wheels, one of which, 2, is an ordinary supporting-wheel, the other wheel, 3, being in the nature of a driving and traction wheel. A stout sill or reach 4, supported upon the axle 1 and extending forwardly, is supported at its front end upon a third wheel 5, which may be in the nature of a casterwheel that is to say, swiveled in order that the machine may be conveniently guided in the desired direction.

Suitably secured to the side of the sill 4:, at the front end of the latter, and spaced therefrom by means of intermediate spacing-blocks 6 is a beam 7, which constitutes the rear end of the tongue, the front end of which, 8, is hingedly connected with said beam in order that it may have the necessary play up and down. It is the intention to operate the machine by means of three horses, and a tripletree 9 has therefore been shown mounted upon the tongue.

The gathering mechanism of my improved corn-harvester consists of a pair of gatheringarms 10 and 11, the latter of which is supported by means of braces or brackets 12, rising from the sill. The gatheringarm 11 supports upon a stub 13 and a shaft 14 a pair of sprocket-wheels 15 16, over which runs the gathering-chain 17, the links of which are provided with suitably-spaced and appropriatelyconstructed gathering-fingers 18, which are of sufficient length to span the gap between the two gathering-arms, the points of said fingers rest-ing upon the upper surface of the gathering-arm 10. Both of the gatheringarms are provided at their front ends with divergent horns 19 to facilitate the entrance between them of the cornstalks, as will be readily understood.

The gathering-arms 10 and 11 are provided near their rear ends with bearings for the snapping-rollers 20 and 21, the bearings for the roller20 being placed upon the gatheringarm and those forthe roller 21 upon the gathering-arm 11, the gathering-arms being connected near the rear ends of said snapping-rollers by means of a bracket which constitutes a shield 22, extending transversely across the rear ends of the snapping-rollers for the purpose of preventing cornstalks from escaping between the rear ends of said snapping-rollers and becoming tangled with the operating mechanism. This shield, which, if desired, may'constitute the upper support of the gathering-arm 10, is to be formed integral with or inany suitable manner connected with the bracket 12, which supports the rear end of the gathering-arm 11. The'snapping-rollers and 21 are provided at their rear ends with intermeshing pinions 23 and 24, whereby they are caused to operate in unison, the upper parts of the snapping-rollers being arranged to move in an inward and downward direction in order that the cornstalks passing therebetween may be properly engaged and deprived of the ears. The shaft 25 of the snapping-roller 21 is extended in a rearward direction and carries a sprocket-wheel 26, whereby the snapping-rollers are driven, as will be hereinafter described.

The gathering-arms 10 and 11 are provided at their outer edges with inclined guide-boards 27 28 to prevent the possibility of ears of corn being lost over the sides of said arms. The rear end of the guide-board 28 terminates in connection with a funnel 29, which is disposed adjacent to the snapping-rollers and which receives the ears of corn removed from the stalks by the action of said rollers. Said funnel has its lower contracted end connected with an elongated box 30, which I shall designate as the husking-box and in which the husking-rollers 31 and 32 are located, said rollers being mounted upon shafts the projecting ends of which are journaled in'suitable boxes at the rear and front ends of the husking-box. The bottom of the box is open throughout its length, as shown at 33, in order to permit the husks and waste material to pass from the rollers onto the ground. One of the husking-rollers, 31, is provided with a spirally-arranged groove 34, which is shouldered or square in cross-section and runs from the rear end of the roller in the direction of the front end, terminating within a short distance of the latter, the ungrooved portion of said roller being provided with a plurality of short flexible pins 35. The husking-roller32 is provided with a plurality of short square pegs or projections 36, disposed spirally around said roller and adapted. to engage and cooperate with the square-shouldered groove 34 to punch the husks from the ears of corn and to cause said husks to pass between the rollers downwardly and through the slot 33 in the bottom of the husking-box. The short flexible pins 35 at the front end of the grooved roller will serve to remove from the ears of corn the fine husks and silk which would otherwise be apt to adhere thereto. The ends of the shafts of the husking-rollers, which project at the rear end of the husking-box, are provided with spurwheels 37 and 38, which intermesh, so that the husking-rollers shall be thereby caused to rotate in unison. The shaft 39 of the roller 32 is extended in a rearward direction and carries asprocketwheel 39.

The main driving-wheel 3 upon the axle l carries a spur-wheel 40, meshing with a pinion 41 upon the shaft 42, which is journaled in suitable bearings above the axle and upon which two bevel-gears 43 and 44 are mounted.

14 designates an approximately vertical shaft suitably supported and having at its lower end a bevel-gear meshing with the bevelgear 43. The upper end of the shaft 14 extends through the gathering-arm 11 and carries a sprocket whereby motion is imparted to the gathering-chain supported upon said arm. A bevel-gear 44, meshing with a bevelgear 47, secured upon the front end of a suitably-supported shaft 48, carrying at its rear end a sprocket-wheel 49, from which a chain 50 passes over the sprocket-wheels 29 and 39 upon the shafts of the snapping-roller 21 and the husking-roller 32, respectively, thus imparting motion to said rollers. The rate of speed at which the said rollers are operated may obviously be governed by properly regulating the relative sizes of the sprocket-wheels.

The extreme front end of the husking-box 30--is closed; but suitably connected therewith is a rearwardly-inclined chute or guide-board 51, upon which the husked ears discharged at the front ends of the husking-rollers will drop, said husking-rollers terminating a suitable distance in rear of the front end of the box,while the shafts upon which they are mounted are journaled in the front end of the box, thus providing sufficient space for the discharge of the ears of corn. that at suitable intervals within the huskingbox and depending from the top of the latter are flexible retarding-plates 52, which depend toward the husking-rollers, so as to prevent the too rapid passage through the husking-box of the ears of corn and to insure their being efliciently operated upon by the husking-rollers. The chute 51 discharges into the lower end of an elevator 53, which is suspended from the sill 4 and which is provided at its lower end with a shaft 54, having a roller 55, which supports the lower end of the endless carrier 56 of the elevator. The casing 57 of the latter is by preference pivotally connected with the shaft 54, the latter being journaled in brackets 58, depending from the box 30 in order that the free end of the elevator-casing may be vertically adjusted as may be desired. Adjacent to the elevator, near the lower end It may here be mentioned of the latter, is supported a fan-casing 59, containing a fan 60, mounted upon a shaft 61. The shafts 39, 54:, and 61 carry sprocketwheels (designated, respectively, 62, 63, and 641,) which are connected by means of a chain 65, motion being thereby transmitted from the husking-roller 32 to the endless carrier of the elevator and to the fan. The blast or discharge of the latter is directed transversely across the lower end of the elevator in close proximity to the chute 51, thereby causing all light and waste matter to be separated from the ears of corn before the latter fall upon the endless carrier of the elevator. Said endless carrier is preferably composed of a pair of chains 68, the upper ends of which are supported upon a roller 67 and which are connected at suitable intervals by slats or crosspieces 68 for the purpose of engaging the ears of corn and elevating them to the place of discharge. The bottom 69 of the elevator-casing has a screen-section 70, through which dust, sand, and the like will be separated from the corn while the latter is in transit over theelevator.

71 designates an upright rising from the sill and having suitably connected with its upper end a rotary rope-guide 72. A rope or flexible element 73, likewise attached near the upper end of the upright 71, passes over a pulley or rotary guide 7 1, suitably connected with the outer end of the elevator-casing, then over the rotary guide 72, and finally to some suitable means of attachment, such as a cleat 7 6 upon the upright. or free end of the elevator-casing may be ver .tically adjusted as may be desired.

The sill 1 supports a suitably-located seat 77 for the driver or operator of the machine.

From the foregoing description, taken in connection with the drawings hereto annexed, the operation and advantages of my improved corn-harvesting machine will be readily understood by those skilled in the art to which it ap'pertains. When the machine progresses over the field, the stands of corn will be guided between the divergent horns of the gatheringarms, where the stalks will be laid hold of by the lingers 18 of the gathering-chain 17, whereby said stalks are conveyed in a rearward direction between said gathering-arms. As soon as the stalks pass into engagement with the snapping rollers, the front ends of which are somewhat pointed, as will be seen, in order to facilitate the admission between them of the stalks, the said rollers will cause the stalks to be rapidly buckled downwardly between the rollers, the ears being snapped off and directed into the funnel 29, whereby they are conveyed into the husking-box and subjected to the action of the husking-rollers. husks and waste material will pass out through the bottom of the husking-box, while the ears By this means the outer The escaping through the opening at the front end of the latter will be guided by the chute 51 onto the endless carrier of the elevator. v While thus dropping and while carried in an upward direction by the elevator the cars will be subjected to the blast issuing from the easing of the fan 60 and light waste material still adhering to or intermingled with the ears will thus be disposed of. Gomparatively heavy waste material, such as sand and dirt, will escape through the screen 70, which forms a portion of the bottom of the elevator-casing. The ears, thoroughly cleansed and free from impurities, will be finally deposited by the elevator in some receptacle, such as a wagon driven alongside the harvester. 7

As will be seen from the foregoing descrip tion, my improved corn-harvester is extremely simple as to the construction thereof, and being very light it may be driven and operated with a comparatively slight expenditure of I power. The parts of the machine are few and simple and thoroughly efiicient for the purposes for which they are provided.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed is- 1. In a corn-harvester, supporting means including a longitudinal sill, a gathering-arm supported above said sill, a gathering-chain engaging sprockets supported upon'said gathering arm, an auxiliary gathering arm, a shield connecting said auxiliary gatheringarm with the supported gathering-arm at the rear end of the latter, and fingers upon the gathering-chain spanning the gap between the two gathering-arms and supported, at the points thereof, upon the auxiliary gatheringarm.

2. In a machine of the class described, a pair of gathering-arms spaced apart, gathering means for conveying the cornstalks in a rearward direction between said arms, a pair of snapping-rollers mounted, one upon each of said arms a shield connecting the rear ends of the gathering-arms and extending across the rear ends of the snapping-rollers, and'a funnel adjacent to said snapping-rollers for the reception of the ears.

3. In a machine of the class described, a pair of gathering-arms, snapping-rollers sup ported thereby, a funnel for the reception of the ears, said funnel being disposed adjacent to the snapping-rollers, a boxor casing disposed below and receiving the discharge from the funnel and having an open bottom, and husking-rollers disposed in said casing.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I have hereto affixed my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

STANLEY J. HAGEMAN.

Witnesses:

C. N. BEMER, T. E. DOLAN. 

